Graduate Program Review
Texas Tech University
Program Reviewed: Department of Mechanical Engineering
Onsite Review Dates: 01/30/2015
Name of Reviewers
Internal:
Please include name, title, and Department
External:
Please include name, title, and Department
Feng C. Lai, Professor, School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019
I.
Academic Unit Description and Strategic Plan
Please evaluate the following:
Vision, Mission and Goals
Excellent
Strategic Plan
Very Good
Please comment on the positive components and suggested areas of improvement.
The department has a clear vision of its future direction and has identified five strategic goals. These goals, although ambitious, are attainable based
on the department's current achievements and its positive upward trajectory. However, the department will not be able to achieve these goals
without significant support and commitment from the upper administration, which includes additional space, staff positions and operating budget (in
the order of their importance and priority). It is to be noted that Texas A&M has also laid out a very ambitious development program for the next
few years. If the upper administration does not commit and provide significant support for the department, it will be difficult for the department to
compete even with its in-state rivals in the research funding as well as recruitment of faculty and students.
II.
Program Curriculum
Please evaluate the following:
Alignment of program with stated program and institutional goals and purposes
Very Good
Curriculum development coordination and delivery
Needs Improvement
Program learning outcomes assessment
Very Good
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Program curriculum compared to peer programs
Very Good
Please comment on the positive components and suggested areas of improvement.
The department offers variety of courses to meet student's interest and broaden their knowledge base. The students are generally pleased with the
courses offered and the research opportunities available for them. The educational training and research experience have helped students landing on
good jobs as they graduate. However, there were complaints about the course requirement and class scheduling. This appears to be a breakdown in
the communication between the department and its graduate students. Conflict information was provided to students through various sources. Also,
the information posted on the school's website was not properly maintained and timely updated. A recent departure of a key staff member might
have further contributed to the problem. Fortunately, the problem can be easily resolved. First of all, the upper administration needs to provide
additional staff support (new staff positions). A staff member needs to be designated solely to the student services in the academic affairs, who will
work
with the Productivity
graduate program coordinator to ensure that consistent information is provided to the students and class schedule is well
III.closelyFaculty
planned without last-minute cancellation/change. In addition, it is suggested that the graduate program coordinator takes the opportunity of new
Please
following:
graduate
studentevaluate
orientationthe
to better
improve the communication as well as to reinforce the sense of graduate community.
Qualifications
Excellent
Publications
Very Good
Teaching Load
Very Good
External Grants
Good
Teaching Evaluations
Good
Professional Service
Very Good
Community Service
Good
Please comment on the positive components and suggested areas of improvement.
The quality of the faculty is excellent with diversified research interests. The junior faculty, which makes up about 40% of the faculty in the
department, is particularly to be commended for their enthusiasm and hard work, which brings new energy and momentum to the department. The
support provided for the new faculty is great (probably one of the best that I know of). The faculty's publication and external research funding
compare very favorable to its peers in Big 12. The faculty is generally active in professional societies. While many of them are involved in the
committees, only one is serving as an officer in the national organization. The faculty is encouraged to take leadership role in the professional
societies/national organizations to further bring visibility and recognition to the university, which will help student and faculty recruitment in the
long run.
IV.
Students and Graduates
Please evaluate the following:
Time to degree
Very Good
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Retention
Very Good
Graduate rates
Very Good
Enrollment
Very Good
Demographics
Very Good
Number of degrees conferred annually
Very Good
Support Services
Needs Improvement
Job Placement
Very Good
Student/ Faculty Ratio
Good
Please comment on the positive components and suggested areas of improvement
The students appear engaging in their study. They are happy with the diversity of research topics available to them. The emphasis on the PhD
program is evident with all PhD students being supported by TA/RA while no support is provided for MS students. This may have adversely
affected the time to degree for MS students in the last two years. The stipend for the graduate students is one of the highest that I know of, which is
great for recruiting talented students. The transdisciplinary program is a signature program of the department. It helps the graduate enrollment and
the support of graduate students. However, only a limited number of faculty are currently involved with the program. More faculty should be
encouraged to join and strength the program. The demographics of graduate students is considered normal for an engineering program. The
mandatory attendance of seminar for all graduate students is noted. While this would certainly broaden the horizon for graduate students, some
flexibility
be considered
and encouragement to attend may produce better outcome. Generally the students are happy with the program and
V. should
Facilities
and Resources
the support provided by the department. The only major complaint is the lack of communication between the department and students. There has
Please
evaluate
the following:
been great
confusion
(particularly
for the 150 hour program) about the degree requirements and required coursework. Students complained conflict
information were provided to them by various offices. Also, the information posted on the department website was not updated in timely manner.
Currently all departmental websites are maintained by a staff member in the college, which may sometime create a bottleneck in terms of website's
Facilities
maintenance and update. It is suggested that the role of website maintenance and update be de-centralized and given the responsibility to individual
department so that information can be timely updated. Another area of concern is the lack of "the community sense" for the graduate students in the
Very ItGood
department.
appears that the students only interact with peers in their own group. This "narrow focus" may be an unfortunate consequence from
the limited space of the department. The graduate student's lab and office are scattered over two buildings and they are forced to work in their own
corner.Facility Support Resources
Needs Improvement
Financial Resources
Very Good
Staff Resources
Needs Improvement
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Please comment on the positive components and suggested areas of improvement
The facilities are generally in very good shape. Particularly the new labs established by the young faculty members are very impressive. The
machine shop, although has full capability to support the teaching and research programs of the department, needs timely upgrade of their
equipment. Most critically the space allocated to the department is not adequate for its current operation nor future development. Some of the labs
and graduate student offices are rather cramped, which are nicknamed "prison cells" by students. Working under such confined condition is
depressing and may be even counterproductive in the long run. The space issue is critical for the department which may not only affect its
productivity, but also greatly limits its growth in the future. The department is also not adequately staffed to provide needed services to students and
faculty. For example, a recent departure of a key staff member has caused great confusion and complaints from the students. Additional staff
positions
definitelyRanking
needed in support of the teaching and research programs of the department.
VI. areOverall
Please provide summative conclusions based on the overall review.
The department and its graduate program are considered to be healthy and productive at its current state. The faculty and students are making the
best use of the resources that are available to them. They should be commended for the progress that they made in recent years. The junior faculty,
which consists of 40% of the faculty, is the major work horse for the department. They are energetic and enthusiastic about their work. They also
carry that enthusiasm to their graduate students. The transdisciplinary (TD) PhD program is clearly a signature program for the department. It
should be continued and further expanded. No major problem has been identified with the graduate program except for some minor communication
problems. The goals set by the department for its future development, although ambitious, are attainable. However, to play in the national stage or
even to compete with its in-state rivals (UT-Austin and Texas A&M), the department will need substantial support from the upper administration.
Please provide summative recommendations based on the overall review.
Based on the information provided by the department as well as the on-site visit and interview with faculty and students, my recommendations for
the program are summarized below.
1. Space
Space is a critical issue that the department faces. It significantly affects the current operation and future development of the program. Some labs
and graduate student offices are considered below the standard of its peer schools. Working under such confined space is depressing and may
become counterproductive in the long run. Additional space should be provided if the department were to achieve its set goals.
2. Staff Support
Additional staff positions should be provided to the department. Currently the department is understaffed to support its teaching and research
programs and meet the needs of faculty and students. A staff member should be designated to work closely with the undergraduate and graduate
coordinators to ensure a smooth operation of the programs. Another staff member may be charged to maintain the department's website so that the
information posted on the website is consistent with other sources and is timely updated.
3. Operating Budget
The total operating budget for the department may seem to increase over the years. However, due to the significant growth of the program, the
operating budget per faculty and staff is actually decreasing. It would be difficult for the department to grow further if its operating budget is not
proportionally increased.
4. Transdisciplinary Program
The program should be expanded in two directions. One is to invite additional faculty members to join and strengthen the current program (internal
expansion). Another is to seek other major corporations to support a program similar to that of Raytheon (external expansion). A recently
established healthcare engineering program is rather encouraging and should be fully supported.
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